Thursday, September 23, 2010

When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be a...

Yesterday I was working with a group of volunteers from a local college.  Almost all of them were college freshman and through the course of the day I asked them what they wanted to do when they grow up.  I didn't hear too many clear cut answers, but maybe I shouldn't be surprised.

First of all, so few people actually stay in the same career field these days.  I personally think this is a good thing in that we have permission to dream fresh dreams and do new things with our lives.  That is what walking by faith is all about...to understand that God has big new plans for us around each new corner.  When we get into a complacency, almost any complacency, we are in danger of following His will for our lives in the past.  I believe the Lord is always calling us to some new plane (or helicopter), and that means our lives should be in a constant state of flux.

I also think that the younger generation sometimes feels forced into going to college.  This puts some in the position to make decisions about their future before they know enough about themselves to make that call.  I think that was probably the case with me in some ways...I went to college because it was the thing to do for people with grades like I had.  I don't regret it, and never have.  But I think the healthier (and cheaper) approach might be for some to simply get gainful employment after high school to discover more about who they are.  Then when they figure out what they like and dislike, what their true strengths and weaknesses are, and what their calling from God may be at the time, they can make decisions about future educational pursuits or career choices.

Now for me, at 45 and in my uptheenth career, I'm still trying to decide if I want to be an astronaut, or a cowboy, or a fireman, or a ...